Boca golf courses plan has trap risk

Buy-sell timing crucial

If Boca Raton isn’t careful, it may be left with only one golf course — and that’s a smaller one on State Road A1A, a city leader warns.

This week, the city began drawing up a contract to sell the 194-acre Municipal Golf Course, situated outside city limits, while still planning to buy a 27-hole golf course in the city, Ocean Breeze at 5801 NW Second Ave.

But if the city sells one and fails to buy the other, Boca would be left owning only the Red Reef Executive Golf Course, a nine-hole facility.

Boca Councilman Scott Singer said it’s a risk for the city because the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District hasn’t yet sealed the deal to buy Ocean Breeze from developer Lennar Homes.

“We don’t know what they’re going to do,” Singer said of the district’s negotiations.

The city, in a resolution this year, promised the public it would look for another golf course. “If we sell the one without the other, we haven’t complied with the spirit of the ‘Golf in Boca’ resolution,” Singer said.

The city-owned Red Reef Executive Golf Course hasn’t been part of any sale discussions.

Three developers are eager to buy Boca Raton’s Municipal Golf Course, the city’s largest public golf course, to build hundreds of homes on it.

At a recent meeting, Boca Councilman Robert Weinroth told his colleagues they risked losing the $73 million offers if the city waits too long to sell. “Let’s all realize that the economy could tank on us, and that $73 million could become $23 million,” Weinroth said.

Talks began more than a year ago to sell the Municipal Golf Course, and the city narrowed down a list of buyers to three finalists. It hasn’t yet picked a developer to sell it to.

All three developers competing to buy the course plan to build homes on the 27-hole course, at 8111 Golf Course Road. The developers’ plans:

Compson Boca Argent LLC, a Delawarebased company, wants to build 497 homes and a 170-unit senior living complex. The company would donate 23 acres to the Torah Academy of Boca Raton.

Boca-based GL Homes is planning about 580 homes.

Lennar Homes, which is based in Miami, wants to build 390 homes, 95 villas and an additional 200-unit living facility.

The developers couldn’t be reached for comment.

The district aimed to close a deal with Lennar to buy Ocean Breeze for $24 million by October and previously asked the city for a bond to help pay for it.

But before city officials dish out any cash, Mayor Susan Haynie in May requested an appraisal for part of Ocean Breeze and ballpark costs to renovate it.

Ocean Breeze has fallen into disrepair since it was closed more than a year ago because of declining membership and revenue.

Arthur Koski, executive director of the parks district, said he is hashing out Ocean Breeze’s renovation cost and profitability details.